A fantastic volume put together by bassist William Parker, and one that shows his larger connection to cultural activity in general – as it features Parker interviewing four key artists, most of whom are represented here in ways that go far beyond music! The subjects within include trombonist Steve Swell, saxophonist Alan Glover, writer/painter Christopher Collins, and artist Jalalu Kalvert Nelsen – each of whom is interviewed in a very insightful way by Parker, in sections that also feature some of their non-musical creative work. The book features poetry from both Swell and Collins, both of whom are represented by visual artworks – as are Nelsen and Glover. Book features a mix of color and black and white images throughout! (Books, Jazz) Book

Oscar's great connection here is with the rhythm team of Louis Hayes on drums and Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass – both of whom bring in a nice degree of subtlety to the set, and make it one of Peterson's most gently-grooving albums for MPS! There's a warm, round quality to most of the tunes on the album – a mode that partakes strongly of the lyrical side of the Peterson spectrum, yet which still makes things roll along with a submerged sense of his gutbuckety soul. Titles include "Smile", "On The Trail", "Wheatland", "Younger That Springtime", "Where Do We Go From Here", and "Just Squeeze Me". CD

Oscar's great connection here is with the rhythm team of Louis Hayes on drums and Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass – both of whom bring in a nice degree of subtlety to the set, and make it one of Peterson's most gently-grooving albums for MPS! There's a warm, round quality to most of the tunes on the album – a mode that partakes strongly of the lyrical side of the Peterson spectrum, yet which still makes things roll along with a submerged sense of his gutbuckety soul. Titles include "Smile", "On The Trail", "Wheatland", "Younger That Springtime", "Where Do We Go From Here", and "Just Squeeze Me". LP, Vinyl record album

An ultra-hip live set from bassist Oscar Pettiford – recorded in Germany during the late 50s stretch when he'd taken up residency overseas, and was making some great connections on the scene! This set definitely reflects Pettiford's reach at the time – as it's got an excellent group that includes Dusko Goykovich on trumpet, Michel Hausser on vibes, Hans Koller on tenor, Roger Guerin on trumpet, and Attila Zoller on guitar – all top-shelf talents of the time who really make the record shine! Tracks have that tightly arranged quality that Pettiford brought to his 50s American recordings – but also have a looser, more open vibe that allows the solos to really stretch out – especially on some of the album's longer numbers. The full concert is presented here for the first time ever – and titles include "Are You Real", "HEC Blues", "Happy Afternoon", "Rue Dauphine", "Blues Around Joe", "Autumn Leaves", and "Minor Meeting". CD

An ultra-hip live set from bassist Oscar Pettiford – recorded in Germany during the late 50s stretch when he'd taken up residency overseas, and was making some great connections on the scene! This set definitely reflects Pettiford's reach at the time – as it's got an excellent group that includes Dusko Goykovich on trumpet, Michel Hausser on vibes, Hans Koller on tenor, Roger Guerin on trumpet, and Attila Zoller on guitar – all top-shelf talents of the time who really make the record shine! Tracks have that tightly arranged quality that Pettiford brought to his 50s American recordings – but also have a looser, more open vibe that allows the solos to really stretch out – especially on some of the album's longer numbers. The full concert is presented here for the first time ever – and titles include "Are You Real", "HEC Blues", "Happy Afternoon", "Rue Dauphine", "Blues Around Joe", "Autumn Leaves", and "Minor Meeting". CD

Features Carlos Ward on alto and flute, Nilson Matta on bass, and both Mor Thiam and Guilherme Franco on percussion! CD

One of Don Pullen's most spiritual albums of the later years – a live set that has him working with a group that really lives up to the culture-crossing reference of their name – as slight elements of African and Brazilian rhythms dance along with the soulful jazz vibe of the performance! Pullen's got this great way of laying out long flowing piano lines at times – almost in the spirit of Dollar Brand – and he's also working with Carlos Ward on alto sax, who'd played with Brand before – and who gives the record this beautifully balanced sense of soul. Some of the more rootsy elements come from percussionist Mor Thiam – who plays djembe, tabula, and rainsticks – and the quintet also features Nilson Matta on bass and JT Lewis on drums. All tracks are quite long, and titles include "Kele Mou Bana", "Yebino Spring", "Ah George We Hardly Knew Ya", "Capoeira", and "Aseeko". CD

A landmark album – not only for Freddie Redd, but for Jackie McLean, who's the real star of the session! In the early 60s, both Freddie and Jackie played together in a hip New York play called The Connection – working as a part of a live jazz band who were hanging out in an apartment, waiting for their "connection" to bring them some heroin. The music on this set was forged during the course of the play – played live, improvised, but tightly honed into some fantastic tunes over the course of the run – so that by the time Blue Note went to record this set, the whole thing had a razor-sharp intensity that blew away even the best other Blue Note work of the time! Redd wrote all the tracks, and he plays with a dark and fiery edge that we've never heard in his work on other records – superbly matched by McLean's alto, which blows these amazingly precise and soulful notes throughout. Titles include "Who Killed Cock Robin", "Wigglin", "Music Forever", and "O.D." LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album – not only for Freddie Redd, but for Jackie McLean, who's the real star of the session! In the early 60s, both Freddie and Jackie played together in a hip New York play called The Connection – working as a part of a live jazz band who were hanging out in an apartment, waiting for their "connection" to bring them some heroin. The music on this set was forged during the course of the play – played live, improvised, but tightly honed into some fantastic tunes over the course of the run – so that by the time Blue Note went to record this set, the whole thing had a razor-sharp intensity that blew away even the best other Blue Note work of the time! Redd wrote all the tracks, and he plays with a dark and fiery edge that we've never heard in his work on other records – superbly matched by McLean's alto, which blows these amazingly precise and soulful notes throughout. Titles include "Who Killed Cock Robin", "Wigglin", "Music Forever", and "O.D." CD

A real cooker from Freddie Redd – and never issued at the time! Despite the fact that Freddie was part of one of the greatest sessions ever on Blue Note – the soundtrack to The Connection, done with Jackie McLean – he rarely got the chance to record more for the label, which is what makes this session an especially great treat! The set features Freddie working with an ultra-hip lineup that includes trumpeter Benny Bailey, tenorist Tina Brooks, and the great Jackie McLean, who always seemed to bring out an edge in Freddie's playing that didn't show up otherwise. The style of the tunes is hardbop, in general, but they've got these sharp little edges and modern twists that really make them sound fresh. Perhaps that's why Blue Note didn't issue the session at the time – we'll never know for sure – but it's also what makes the album so enjoyable now! Titles include "Now", "Cute Doot", "Somewhere", "Love Lost", and "Old Spice". CD

An exquisite bit of modernist hardbop – recorded by Freddie Redd with the same sort of sound that he brought to the classic Connection recording, also done for Blue Note! As with that session, Redd is working here with alto from a young Jackie McLean's on alto sax – really at the top of his powers here, and beautifully skirting a line that runs between soulful hardbop and some of the more modern phrasing McLean would use during his "new thing" years! Tina Brooks is on tenor, and as on other classic Blue Notes – such as the Street Singer album – the Brooks/McLean combination makes for some stellar solo work throughout. Redd's piano is firey in a way that we can hardly describe, and tracks include "Thespian", "Melanie", and "Shadows". LP, Vinyl record album

An exquisite bit of modernist hardbop – recorded by Freddie Redd with the same sort of sound that he brought to the classic Connection recording, also done for Blue Note! As with that session, Redd is working here with alto from a young Jackie McLean's on alto sax – really at the top of his powers here, and beautifully skirting a line that runs between soulful hardbop and some of the more modern phrasing McLean would use during his "new thing" years! Tina Brooks is on tenor, and as on other classic Blue Notes – such as the Street Singer album – the Brooks/McLean combination makes for some stellar solo work throughout. Redd's piano is firey in a way that we can hardly describe, and tracks include "Thespian", "Melanie", and "Shadows". CD

An exquisite bit of modernist hardbop – recorded by Freddie Redd with the same sort of sound that he brought to the classic Connection recording, also done for Blue Note! As with that session, Redd is working here with alto from a young Jackie McLean's on alto sax – really at the top of his powers here, and beautifully skirting a line that runs between soulful hardbop and some of the more modern phrasing McLean would use during his "new thing" years! Tina Brooks is on tenor, and as on other classic Blue Notes – such as the Street Singer album – the Brooks/McLean combination makes for some stellar solo work throughout. Redd's piano is firey in a way that we can hardly describe, and tracks include "Thespian", "Melanie", and "Shadows". CD

A corker of a set from tenorist Diego Rivera – a player who's been around for a bit, but who really seems to find his groove in this Posi-Tone setting! The album's got Diego working with some great labelmates – including trombonist Michael Dease on all cuts, a name that's worth us checking out the album alone – plus work on various tracks by Joe Magnarelli on trumpet, Markus Howell on alto, and Behn Gillece on vibes! The core quintet also includes Luther Allison on piano, Andea Owens on bass, and Jason Tiemann on drums – all playing nice and tight, so Rivera and Dease can really soar on their solos – taking off on tunes that include the Rivera originals "Connections", "Ties That Bind", "Nueva York", "O Moderno", and "Mother's Nature" – plus Dease's "Seiko Time", and a nice bold-voiced version of "Naima" – done very differently than usual! CD

Sonny Stitt goes Latin – and the results are tremendous! The set's still got all the soulful feel of the best Stitt sessions for Roost, but it brings in some nice Latin rhythms too – inflecting things with that blend of soul jazz and congas you might find over at Prestige or Blue Note, yet also taking things further, too – given the Roost/Roulette connection to the New York Latin scene! Sonny plays both alto and tenor, and gets jazzy accompaniment from Thad Jones on trumpet – but the rhythm section is the real charmer here – and features a young Chick Corea on piano, Larry Gales on bass, and the trio of Willie Bobo, Patato Valdes, and Chihuaua Martinez on percussion! Most tunes are originals – a great change from the usual Latinized standards you might find on a set like this – and Stitt's got this nicely exotic tone in his reeds which is a further highlight of the record – almost a Yusef Lateef inflection at points. Titles include "Are You Listening", "I Told You So", "Chic", "Senor Jones", "Amigos", and "Ritmo Bobo". LP, Vinyl record album

A really fantastic record from legendary jazz guitarist Gabor Szabo – and one of his few 70s sides to capture the extended modal brilliance of his work in the 60s for Impulse and Skye Records! The tracks are all long and live, and performed by a very small combo – drums, bass, and keyboards – which is instrumentation that's much leaner than some of Gabor's studio sessions of the time, which often use bigger arrangements – all of which provides a setting that allows the guitar wizard to really stretch out with all these amazing tones, colors, and unusual phrases – the tripped-out magic that Gabor could do so well when he got a chance! All tracks are longer than ten minutes – and titles include "Magical Connection", "Concorde", "Autumn Leaves", and "It Happens". LP, Vinyl record album

A very groovy set from guitar genius Gabor Szabo – one that features all those cool tones and elements he'd developed on his late 60s albums for Impulse and Skye Records, given a tighter LA groove here, with almost an A&M Records vibe! There's loads of great solos throughout, played in a combo that also features Lynn Blessing on vibes, Richard Thompson and Nick DeCaro on keyboards, and Sandra Crouch on percussion – all set to some backings handled by DeCaro, who really helps shape the sound of the set! The tunes are a really nice mix of material – and while this might not be Gabor's most way-out album, it's still full of lots of his great groovy guitar – on titles that include "Love Theme From Spartacus", "Country Illusion", "Sombrero Sam", "Lady With Child", "Pretty Girl Why", "Hum A Song", "Magical Connection", and "Fred & Betty". LP, Vinyl record album

A very groovy set from guitar genius Gabor Szabo – one that features all those cool tones and elements he'd developed on his late 60s albums for Impulse and Skye Records, given a tighter LA groove here, with almost an A&M Records vibe! There's loads of great solos throughout, played in a combo that also features Lynn Blessing on vibes, Richard Thompson and Nick DeCaro on keyboards, and Sandra Crouch on percussion – all set to some backings handled by DeCaro, who really helps shape the sound of the set! The tunes are a really nice mix of material – and while this might not be Gabor's most way-out album, it's still full of lots of his great groovy guitar – on titles that include "Love Theme From Spartacus", "Country Illusion", "Sombrero Sam", "Lady With Child", "Pretty Girl Why", "Hum A Song", "Magical Connection", and "Fred & Betty". CD

Really groundbreaking work from the World Sax Quartet – one of the first, and best, all-horn ensembles! The strength of the album definitely hangs on the backgrounds of the players – Julius Hemphill, Hamiet Bluiett, Oliver Lake, and David Murray – all already key reedmen in left field jazz, with a sense of sound and identity that makes each part of the group as strong as its whole – a great trading of musical minds, spirits, and sounds. Instrumentation includes alto, tenor, baritone, clarinet, soprano sax, and bass clarinet – and titles include "Sundance", "Pillars Latino", "Suite Music", "Sound Light", "Connections", and "Fast Life". CD

A great follow-up to the initial News For Lulu project – a late 80s reinvention of the sound of Blue Note, handled by this trio of key modernists from the time! As proven by recordings like this over the years, John Zorn's a player who – despite his own very modern and avant tendencies – has a great respect for older jazz traditions, and a strong ability to bring them into his music – even if the connections aren't always that obvious! Here, the link is explicit – in the album's choice of tunes by Hank Mobley, Sonny Clark, Kenny Dorham, and Freddie Redd – all Blue Note legends from the hardbop generation, providing core elements that are completely reworked into modern showcases for the alto of Zorn, guitar of Bill Frisell, and trombone of George Lewis. Lewis' presence is especially great – a rhythmic pulse and sense of depth that really grounds the session nicely. The CD features material from two live performances – and titles include "Melody For C", "News For Lulu", "Funk In Deep Freeze", "Hank's Other Tune", and "Peckin Time". CD

A set that showcases a surprising contribution that Andy Warhol made to American music in the postwar years – graphic work done years before his time as a Pop Art icon, or his relationship with the Velvet Underground – from years when Warhol was a more conventional illustrator, and created images for a range of different record covers! Since the images here were more part of a gig, Andy didn't have creative input on the music – yet the covers were often used on the sorts of recordings that showcased important cultural streams of the 50s – on a series of records by Thelonious Monk, Moondog, JJ Johnson, Count Basie, Johnny Griffin, and Kenny Burrell – plus some modern classical recordings too! The set's got a full booklet of notes that illustrate Andy's New York connection to the growing world of the long playing record – with one CD of jazz, two CDs of classical-related material, and one more CD that portrays Andy's New York – with more material from Cecil Taylor, Lenny Bruce, Charles Mingus, Luciano Berio, John Cage, and others. CD

A well-titled little set – as the collection is as cool as the sound of CTI Records back in the 70s! The unique package features an LP-sized cover – just like one of the CTI gatefold albums from back in the day – which contains 4 different CDs, each with a slightly different take on the sound of the legendary label! CD 1 is titled Straight Up – and features amazing 70s jazz from Hubert Laws, Ron Carter, George Benson, Randy Weston, Freddie Hubbard, and others. CD 2 is titled Deep Grooves/Big Hits – and features some killer numbers by Esther Phillips, Johnny Hammond, Freddie Hubbard, Deodato, Joe Farrell, and Hank Crawford. Next is CD 3, The Brazilian Connection – a beautiful demonstration of Creed Taylor's love of sounds from Rio and beyond – filled with great work from Airto, Paul Desmond, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Stanley Turrentine, Milt Jackson, and Deodato. Last up is Cool & Classic – the 4th CD, with CTI-remade work by older players such as Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, Kenny Burrell, and Jim Hall – all a perfect fit for the label's new sound of the 70s! The package also features an LP-sized booklet – filled with notes and rare images! (Funky Compilations, Jazz) CD

A really great look at a scene that was incredibly strong in the 70s, but almost a secret to the rest of the world – given that most of the records here got wide distribution in Australia, but on labels who had no connection to the rest of the global market! Australian jazz had already gotten going well into the 50s – but during the time in this stretch, local musicians were really coming into their own – embracing modal jazz and more open-ended soloing – but also in a way that wasn't slavish to American or European trends either – which makes so much of the work here such an amazingly fresh discovery! There's a majesty to this music that you wouldn't expect if you didn't know the scene that well – a sense of pride and power that's amazing, and which makes this collection stand together wonderfully as a testament to this great moment in music. Titles include "Circles" by Allan Zavod, "Valley Of The Tweed" by Bob Bertles Moontrane, "Kuri Monga Nuie" by Bruce Cale, "Whirlpool" by Charlie Munro, "What The Thunder Said" by Out To Lunch, and "Number One" by Ted Vining. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty incredible legacy of jazz from the scene in Belgium during the late 60s and early 70s – a place that never got the kind of exposure as the jazz worlds of the UK, Scandinavia, and Germany – but one that was making some really amazing work at the time! Take the "progressive" in the title a bit loosely – this is neither prog jazz rock, nor work that's too academic to be groovy – as the groups here are often a bit funky, and play with a surprising degree of soul – just the right space between the notes to make for tunes that cross over very well to fans of American funky jazz from the 70s, with some moments that also rival the best in Brazilian 70s jazz too! The rhythms are wonderful – sometimes full-on funky, sometimes more modal and spacious – and the tracks mix electric and acoustic instrumentation perfectly – mostly instrumental, but with a few vocals from time to time. Some of the artists are ones here you might not normally associate with Belgium – and that's just because they're finally getting their due here, in a well-collected package that also illuminates the connections with a great set of notes. Titles include "Vas Y Voir" by Brussels Art Quintet, "Pathetic Dreams" by Koen De Bruyne, "Archangelo" by Raphael, "Memphis Talk" by Philip Catherine, "Naima" by Lou MacConnell, "Pro Forma 1" by Babs Robert, "Utopic Cities" by Solis Lacus, "SUS" by Placebo, "Face Reality" by Jacques & Micheline Pelzer, "Tohubohu (part 1)" by Marc Moulin, "Open Sky" by Open Sky Unit, and "Sakara" by Clarke Boland Big Band. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album